Inspiring Conversations with Heather Self of New Hope Senior Living

Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Self.

Hi Heather, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My story is not a typical one for most real estate investors. I didn’t come from the corporate world with a six-figure income and slowly transition to full-time Entrepreneurship. In fact, it was quite the opposite. The first home I purchased was through Habitat for Humanity. I was a single Mom in my 20’s, working full-time, teaching life-skills classes to welfare recipients (the same classes I had been a student of years before). As I taught, I learned. And as I learned, I taught. I realized more and more that we all, regardless of our circumstances, need help and encouragement to enter the next chapter of our lives. Having a safe place to live gave me a sense of empowerment and freedom to do just that. My experience with Habitat for Humanity ultimately connected me to a bigger purpose in life.
I believe that once you experience a problem, it becomes your duty to solve it for others. I knew from firsthand experience a lack of affordable housing options can be a huge barrier to success. So, how could I take what I have learned and create a lasting impact for others?

I realized people need two things in order to change their circumstances. Education and action. So, I implemented that thought process and began my self-education journey. I read until I had a grasp on market cycles, micro & macroeconomics, and the art of adding genuine value to others which allows you to leverage their knowledge, skills, abilities and eventually capital. Then, I took massive action!

This paradigm shift led me to over 600 real estate transactions in just a few years. Including wholesales, fix & flips, vacation rentals and affordable single-family housing. I was able to take my story of domestic violence, poverty and homelessness and make it matter.

I learned that encounters with trauma and tragedy are what shape us as people. They can either tear us down or cause us to soar. We may not always have the power to choose our situations, but we can choose what we decide to do with it. Learning from those experiences is only a fraction of the lesson, the true magic happens when you can take those lessons and teach others. That is how I choose to create significance and build a life that will outlive me.

Today, my focus, alongside my partner and husband, Greg, is on creating a reimagined housing solution to care for our growing senior population. After seeing the good, the bad and the ugly with traditional Assisted Living options, we knew we had to create something better. We wanted to build a model that would encompass everything we would want in our golden years and provide a home that our own parents would be proud to live in.

As it turns out, as we age our overall wants and desires don’t change, our capabilities do. So, what if we could live in a home environment that is familiar to what we have always known but also have 24/7 access to the help we need, all while living in a beautiful home that is designed for families to gather?

Living with 100 strangers in a huge institutional-like facility is not for everyone, that is why we founded New Hope Senior Living in Hendersonville, TN. It’s where friends become family!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey has not been smooth, and I could not be more thankful for all the challenges. When things are tough, there are problems to solve and questions to be answered. I thrive on learning and being challenged. If your career or life in general is not “tough” you are probably not reaching far enough outside of your comfort zone.

I believe we can choose to be better, or we can choose to be comfortable, I do not believe we can be both at the same time. In order to grow and impact others in a positive way, we must get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

We’ve been impressed with New Hope Senior Living, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
New Hope Senior Living was created with one goal in mind: To reimagine the way we go about caring for our senior population as a society. It has become common practice to “institutionalize” our aging population and we are on a mission to change that. New Hope is a single-family home nestled on 18 beautiful acres in the hills of Sumner County, TN. This spectacular property has been retrofitted to provide a senior safe environment with zero transition floors, 24/7 care and chef prepared farm-to-table food.

We believe in the power of healthy, nutritious, and locally sourced food. So, we have gone the extra mile in planting herb & vegetable gardens along with a beautiful fruit tree orchard for our families to harvest and enjoy. We have also built relationships with local growers and farmers to be able to serve organic, fresh food without harsh chemicals. This is a win-win as it helps our local small businesses, and it allows us to offer the highest quality of food to be prepared by our chef. Our residents can do as much or as little as they want because that is what their golden years should be!

Many people as they age think living in a home is no longer a viable option. We spent the last two years developing a solution so that does not have to be a reality.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
I have lots of advice because I have made lots of mistakes. I will list a few here, but if you want access to more, go to heatherself.com and request a free copy of “An Entrepreneurs Guide to Success and Significance.” You can also get a free digital copy of the #1 Best Selling book I co-authored. Don’t Quit: Stories of Persistence, Courage, and Faith.
Here we go!

1) Don’t compare your “Chapter 1” with someone else’s “Chapter 20”. Your only real competition is yourself. If you start each day with the goal of being a better person today than you were yesterday, you will win every time! Use other’s success as motivation, not comparison.

2) It’s also important to surround yourself with like-minded people. Jim Rohn famously said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” It’s important to choose your network carefully and remind yourself if you are the smartest person in the room, you’re probably in the wrong room.

3) Utilize mentors! The best gift you can receive is to meet someone that has the ability to introduce you to a better version of yourself.

4) Success takes three steps… Step out. Step up. Step in.
Step out of your comfort zone. Step up to your challenges. Step into your greatness.

If you would like to see our reimagined care in action, please email me and I will add you to our VIP list. This will get you special invitations to all our free community events & more!

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: heatherself.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heather.l.self.5/
• Other: newhopeseniorliving.com